The Beauty and the Tragedy
by Quicklove202
Summary: Back in 1935, Edward Cullen shared his secret to a stranger, one whom he believed to be his soul mate. Edward/ Pauline from Ballet Shoes.


This is really random…and also my first attempt at doing something Twilight but also with a crossover. So...basically I've been watching a lot of Edward/Hermione videos on you tube since they're one of my favorite pairings hehe. I came across one video in particular that was kind of the inspiration for me to write this certain pairing, it was an Edward/Pauline vid. For those who don't know, the character of Pauline is Emma Watson's character from a movie she did called _Ballet Shoes =). _Since that movie takes place in the 30's, I thought it would be interesting to write something that has their lives intertwine. Anyways, thanks to this random pairing and idea, I've come up with this little story. By the way, if you haven't seen _Ballet Shoes, _I believe it's on you tube. I apologize in advance if it sucks, I wrote this late at night...but if you like it, please tell me. =]

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><p>The sky had been usually gray all morning and Edward had seen it as his chance to go outside for the first time since he arrived in California. His sister, Rosalie had just married Emmett, another addition to the growing Cullen clan, and he was beginning to feel like the fifth wheel whenever he was surrounded by his paired family. So he ventured off on his own, something he did every so often just to get his space. He knew that California wasn't the idea place for a vampire, seeing as how it was sunny practically all year round, but for some unknown reason, he felt he <em>had<em> to go. He didn't understand this sudden impulse but nevertheless headed west.

Even though the country was in the middle of a depression and people were suffering all over, Hollywood didn't seem to be affected by it. He noticed that films were being made just about on every corner, wannabe actresses passing by him every few seconds, each one hoping for the chance to become the next Olivia de Havilland. The city was moving at such a rapid pace, it reminded him a lot of New York City, where people were always on the move.

After walking a few blocks, he found himself in the more residential areas, away from the bustle of the city. It was nice because the neighborhood was not only greener but quieter. He figured it was because everyone was busy working in the city. As he walked, he noticed a botanical gardens across the street. Since he had nothing better to do, he crossed the street and headed towards it.

The gardens were relatively empty since it was the middle of the afternoon on a workday, which pleased him because he wasn't comfortable being surrounded by others. To say the least, it was nice only having to deal with his own thoughts. But his content disposition was short lived for no longer than five minutes after he entered, the sun began to peak out from behind the clouds, it's rays illuminating the earth within seconds. He shook his head in discontent and stepped away from the open and started walking beneath the trees where its canopy shielded him from the sunlight. Even though no one seemed to be around, he could never be too careful.

He closed his eyes and took in this peaceful bliss, the sound of the birds chirping in the trees above him and the faint sound of a flowing water fountain the only things he could hear. No bothersome noise whatsoever in this sheltered heaven.

The wind picked up and his body instantly stiffened when that sweet aroma he knew all too well filled his nose. He stopped and scanned the area around him. He saw no one, but the heavenly aroma that perfumed the air told him otherwise. Despite his better judgment, he followed the scent, but careful to not stray from the shadows. The scent grew with every step he took, only increasing his curiosity. Usually when he smelt a human, he did his best to ignore it but this particular scent seemed to be calling his name. He stopped again, the scent was incredibly strong here and he knew the source had to be nearby. He stepped off the grass and onto a gravel pathway, which was still concealed in the shade thanks to the branches and leaves. His body stiffened again and he sucked in a sharp, unnecessary breath when he spotted the source.

If he had believed in angels, he would've sworn he was looking at one. She wasn't that far away from him. She was sitting under an archway with her head downcast as she read. He never seen such beauty. She was heavenly, ethereal, an angel. Her fair skin and blonde hair made him think of Rosalie, but only momentarily for the freckles that dusted her nose and smile on her pink lips ended the comparison there.

His first impulse was to go to her side, a desire he'd never experienced towards a human, even when he was thirsty. He had always been wary of being around humans, and with good reason, for he never knew when the blood thirst would be too much for him to withstand and he knew better than to test himself. But even though this girl's scent entranced him, he did not feel the usual thirst that came with being in the presence of a human. This puzzled him beyond belief.

He stood still, even as she got up, but that didn't last, for the moment she started walking away from him, his feet began walking too, as if they had a mind of their own. He watched as she brushed her fingers across a variety of flowers that she passed and he found himself incredibly jealous. Of flowers!

He kept his distance from her and was careful not to stray from the shadows. He eventually caught up to her and found himself walking by her side, the two of them on either side of the trellis that separated them. She didn't notice him though, for her head was still buried in her book. He focused on her thoughts and found that they were composed of Shakespeare, the works of which he realized were in the book she was currently reading.

_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,Which mannerly devotion shows in this;For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss. _

He instantly recognized the verse she was reciting in her head as _Romeo and Juliet _and he couldn't help but utter the next line aloud, "_Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?". _

The girl swiftly whipped around and their eyes met through the trellis. A swell of emotion began to wash over him, flooding his brain, even his dead heart. He'd never felt such strong connection with a human before, and it had only taken a second, by staring into her chocolate brown eyes. He could feel that he was slowly losing himself in the depths of her eyes, and as her heartbeat drummed against his ears like sweet music, he slowly began to realize that his existence was about to change more than anything he'd ever experience or experienced- including becoming a vampire.

She stepped back, her book now at her side. He listened to her thoughts and couldn't help but feel swept up in her emotions. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you" he said softly.

She shook her head and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's alright, you just startled me, I didn't hear you is all".

Her accent, he recognized as British and about another hundred questions began to fill his head. She cleared her throat and her thoughts told him that she was uncomfortable with his staring. He quickly looked away from her and focused his attention on keeping his gaze averted.

"Were you…reciting Shakespeare just now?" she asked him curiously, her head tilting to the side in incredulity. _He's so pale, she thought. He resembles a marble statue. And his eyes! What an unusual color! Like honey… but so beautiful…oh gosh, he's staring at you! He probably thinks you're a nutter for staring for so long! _

His gaze found hers again and the faintest of blushes appeared on her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile, "I noticed your book and couldn't help myself".

She looked up at him, "Oh". _But to recite the following line to the verse I had just read? Now that's eerie, she thought._

He moved closer to the trellis, and without realizing, she did the same. He reached out to touch her but he decided against it and clasped his hand around one of the gaps instead. He would've liked nothing more than to rip the trellis out of his way, to then take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. But he knew that such a thing wouldn't be proper. Those acts were meant for husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend, but never with a stranger. And as much as he hated it, that's he was to her, nothing but a stranger. He sighed in frustration. _I could easily rip this apart, he thought. _His grip on the wooden structure tightened and her warm hand brushed against his knuckles causing him to stiffen.

"What's your name?" she asked him softly, her fingers gingerly caressing his knuckles.

"Edward Cullen," he said quietly, his gaze on her small hand.

"I'm Pauline Fossil" she whispered.

She noticed the small smile that appeared on his face when she said her last name and she frowned, "Do you have a problem with my last name?".

He smiled and shook his head, "No, it's a perfectly common last name".

She glared at him before bursting out into a chuckle, she shook her head and sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just my whole life people have always made fun of my name".

She took her hand away and he instantly felt the loss. She turned to the side and started walking again. He let go of the trellis and walked with her, he on one side, she on the other.

"I take it you're not from around here" he said quietly as they walked.

She shook her head, "I'm from London, I just moved here a few weeks ago".

"What brings you to Hollywood?" he asked.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm an actress, I just signed a contract with United Artists Studios".

He nodded, "That's impressive".

She shrugged, "I guess so".

"You don't want to be an actress?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

She turned her head to him, "Oh yes! More than anything. It's just I prefer acting in the theater to motion pictures".

"That explains the Shakespeare," he then frowned, "But if you don't care for acting in the motion picture business, then why did you sign a contract?".

She shook her head, "It's a long story".

"I've got time" he whispered.

She looked at him and sighed, "How long have you got?".

He smiled, "Forever".

Edward lost track of time after that. He was far too busy listening to her, hanging on every word that left her lips as she told him all about her life, including her younger sisters and their ambitions, her guardians, and how she ended up in the States.

"…and after the premiere I got a contract offer with United Artists Studios. I wasn't really interested though. I mean, I would've had to stay in Hollywood for _five_ years, away from everyone I loved".

"What made you change your mind?" he asked.

"My younger sister, Posy. She's the dancer. She had been training with a famous Russian ballet teacher and when she had a stroke, Posy feared that her training would be put on hold forever. So Posy reached out to a Russian ballet company that was in town and somehow convinced the teacher to train her. He said he would turn her into a real ballerina, and that all she had to do was come to his school in Prague. But there was no way she could go, for we hadn't any money to send her, unless I-"

"Signed the contract" he finished.

She nodded, "With the money from that, she would be able to go. I really didn't have to think twice about it then, ballet was Posy's life. She would've resented us if she hadn't been able to go and I would've hated myself if I had let this opportunity slip away. And so here I am".

_I can't believe I've just told my life story to a stranger, he must be bored out of his mind, she thought._

"So now your sisters are off fulfilling their dreams while you're here, miserable" he concluded.

"I know I shouldn't complain. I mean, hundreds of actresses would kill for the spot I'm in. I have plenty of time to act on the stage. In the meanwhile, this is great practice".

She gazed at him and sighed, "I'm sorry, you must be awfully bored with me yappering on like this. Enough about me. What about you, what's your story?".

She looked at him expectantly and he knew that if he ever wanted to be someone of importance in her life, he couldn't lie to her. He knew the risks, the obvious repercussions, but he didn't think of that now. To be frank, part of him didn't care what would happen. "I know its strange of me to say this but I don't want to keep secrets from you". And that was the truth.

She looked at him curiously, "Then don't".

His jaw tightened, "It's not that simple. If I told you the truth about me, you'd probably never want to come near me again".

She frowned, "You don't know that for certain".

"But I'm pretty sure of how you'll react".

She moved closer to the trellis and placed both hands around the openings, "I might surprise you".

He looked at her for a moment before saying, "Give me your hand,".

She did so and he gently pulled it through one of the openings in the trellis. She was breathing heavily now and he was doing the same, even though it was unnecessary. He moved closer, his chest almost pushed against the trellis and placed her hand over his heart, "What do you feel?".

She looked at him, "Nothing".

"Exactly" he muttered. She kept her hand over his heart even after he let go of her wrist. It dawned on her what he meant and she looked at him with wide eyes, "Your heartbeat".

He smiled weakly, "You mean my lack of".

"But, how? That's impossible-".

He continued walking but stopped he realized that the trees had ended, as well as the trellis. Another step and he would have been in the sunlight. "If I step out into the sunlight, you'll see me for what I really am" he said quietly.

He could hear the sharp intake of her breath when he took that last step, the sunlight consuming him now and turned towards her. He heard her gasp and he quickly averted his gaze to the ground. _Oh my lord, his skin…it sparkles! It looks as though it's embedded with thousands of tiny diamonds. It's stunning…_ He wanted to laugh at that, for he did not see his skin as 'stunning', but more like grotesque. She moved closer to him so that the two of them were practically nose to nose.

"You shouldn't stand so close….I might hurt you" he said quietly, his gaze finding hers and part of him hoping she didn't pay him any attention.

She shook her head and touched his cheek without hesitation, "You're an angel".

He grimaced and shook his head, "Quite the contrary, but if any one of us were to be considered an angel, it would be you".

She chuckled, her cheeks reddening, "You look much more like an angel than I do".

He shook his head, "But I'm not. I'm the monster, you're the angel".

"What are you exactly?" she asked quietly, her hand still caressing his cheek.

"Vampire" he said simply, waiting for the moment where she pulls away. But she never does and he's thankful. "Still think it's okay to be this close?".

"If you had wanted to hurt me, you would've done it already" she said quietly, her hand falling to his chest.

He swallowed hard, "Your heart's beating so fast, but you're not afraid of me".

She shook her head, "But for some reason you want me to, be afraid that is".

"Well, most people would be, especially if they were this close to a monster".

She frowned, "I'm not 'most people'. And you are not a monster".

He shook his head and stepped away from her, "I've done terrible things, I've-".

She moved closer to him and took his hand, "Everyone's got a past, we all make mistakes and do things we're not proud of".

He shook his head, "I don't understand how you can be so calm about this. I'm a bloodsucking monster".

She smiled weakly, "Shouldn't you be happy that I'm not running away? Unless…" she bit her lip, "Am I, I mean is this too much for you? Being around me, that is". She began to back away from him but he pulled her back at such a speed it shocked her.

"Usually, when I'm around humans, it can be quite difficult to keep in control. But right now, just being here with you, it calms me to the point where I feel almost human again. I've never been able to be around a human and say that".

He read her thoughts and dropped his hands from her waist, "You're scared".

She shook her head, "Not of you but of my feelings towards you. I mean, we _just_ met, and yet my feelings for you are so strong. It's like I…". She stopped herself and just shook her head, "I don't know what I'm saying, this is absurd…".

"Say it," he whispered. He knew her true feelings, they were practically screaming out at him inside her head and he wanted to hear her say it aloud.

"Pauline, I can read your mind."

Her head shot up and her eyes widened. "What?" She gasped. "Why didn't you mention that earlier?" She snapped, her cheeks instantly reddening.

"I'm telling you now, isn't that what matters?".

She shook her head, "That's beside the point! So, you've been reading my mind this entire time? You have no right to do that!". He couldn't help but chuckle.

She glared at him and folded her arms across her chest, "What is so funny?".

"It's just that you're standing in front of a vampire and you are more concerned about what I'll hear in your head than you are of what I am. I just find that funny".

She turned her back on him and gasped when he suddenly appeared in front of her again.

"How did you…".

"Vampire thing," he said quickly, "I didn't mean to upset you". She looked up at him and he could tell that she was frustrated and confused, among a bunch more emotions. He didn't expect any less, but he wished that he knew how to make this easier for her.

She sighed in frustration and dropped her arms at her sides, "I don't understand how I can love you after knowing you for such a short amount of time. I mean, you hear about love at first sight, you see it in films, but you never really believe that it can happen in real life". His brain was spinning like a top now, trying to process that she had just said she loved him. He'd never heard those words directed at him. Sure he had heard it from his Carlisle and Esme before, but the meaning was different. Pauline loved him, not like a brother or friend, but like a soulmate.

He moved closer to her and took her hand in his, "With my kind, everything is heightened, especially our emotions. We love more intensely, more passionately than most humans are even capable of".

She looked up at him expectantly, "Do _you_ love me?". He wanted to laugh at her ridiculous question but stopped himself when he realized that he may have not been as clear about his feelings for her as he had thought.

He touched his forehead against hers and looked directly into her eyes, "I loved you the moment I heard your heart beat". He couldn't help but smile as her cheeks reddened _again_.

"Edward," she breathed. _Kiss me, she thought. _He didn't hesitate in the slightest and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped and her hands moved to his biceps, softly squeezing them as their lips began to caress each other. He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her more deeply, his lips gently sucking on her bottom lip. Her sweet taste rivaled that of blood and he began to wonder how he'd ever pry himself from her lips. They continued on for what seemed like an eternity before he then remembered that she needed air and he managed to pry his lips from hers, opening his eyes to the wondrous sight of her flushed cheeks and dazed eyes. "Oh my…" she whispered breathlessly. He smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, "Pauline, I-".

"Pauline!" a woman's voice shouted in the distance. Both their heads shot up at the sound.

Pauline turned around and gasped, "Oh no!". She quickly faced him again before pushing him out of the sun and under a nearby tree.

"Your guardian," he whispered sadly. She nodded and poked her head out from behind the tree, "If I don't come home from the studio right away, this is the first place she looks".

She turned back to face him, her face falling, "I guess I have to leave now".

She looked at him sadly before throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, tempted to take her away, just so they'd never have to part. He held her for as long as he could, pressing her harder against his body. "Edward…".

He rested his forehead against hers and sighed in frustration, "I know, I know…".

She kissed him softy and he let go of her. "This isn't goodbye" he told her.

She smiled up at him, "Promise?". He nodded and she stepped back into the open. He forced himself to stay in the shadows as he watched a young woman with her hair in a loose bun and a frantic look on her face, approach Pauline. Even at this distance, he could hear them perfectly. "At last, I've found you! How many times have I told you not to go wandering off? Come now, we still have to pick up your dress for the studio party tonight".

She grabbed Pauline's hand and led her away, but not before Pauline turned around and mouthed the words, "I love you" to him. He mouthed the words back to her but she had already disappeared out of sight before he could finish. He looked at the spot where she had been just moments ago and felt his dead heart ache. _This isn't goodbye, he told himself. This isn't goodbye…_ For years, he had thought himself complete, never to require a mate like the others. But now, he realized, as he stood alone, just how terribly mistaken he had been. Because for the first time in his existence, he had a reason to look forward to another day. He was certain that he would see her again, he knew that this would not be the last time he held her, kissed her, talked to her. For she was the love of his existence, the only love he'd ever know. The only love he'd _want _to know. And nothing would be able to tear them apart.

The End?


End file.
